


Potentiality

by ariadne83



Series: Potentiality [1]
Category: As the World Turns
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-07
Updated: 2010-09-18
Packaged: 2017-10-11 23:14:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/118230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariadne83/pseuds/ariadne83
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: What if the day Luke confronted Chris went a little differently?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another self-indulgent fix-it story. I promised this fic to [](http://slayerkitty.livejournal.com/profile)[**slayerkitty**](http://slayerkitty.livejournal.com/)  back in August and it was originally supposed to be a short series of ficlets but it's taken on a life of its own.

Luke hadn’t been able to sleep much after he left the cocktail party. He kept thinking about Reid and Katie and Chris, and what was going to happen next, and how he was going to protect Reid from the fallout. He dozed fitfully until 3am, when he finally gave up and switched on the light. First things first: if Luke was going to make any difference he had to spend some quality time on Google and find out exactly what they were up against.

It didn’t takes him long to find best-to-worst-case scenarios, and lists of medications and therapies and technologies Chris could try. The more he looked the more frustrated he became with Chris’ attitude (if he’d gotten help weeks ago…), but Luke buried it and focused on loading the more interesting articles onto his Blackberry. Chris wouldn’t know what hit him.

 **~~~**

“Chris!” Luke called out, bounding up to him. By the time he’d finished his research the sun had come up, so Luke had dragged himself off to Java to fuel up for the day.

“Luke. Don’t you ever go home? You’re here more than I am.”

“I had a budget meeting about the new neuro wing.” And he’d sat there jittering the entire time, until Reid reached under the table and squeezed his knee, simultaneously stopping his twitching and making him want to squirm in his seat. Reid had gone straight home afterward, telling Bob he was taking the rest of the day off to do paperwork, but he’d made sure to catch Luke’s eye before he headed out. With any luck he was herding Katie out the door right now, and they’d finally have a chance to be along. Luke felt the back of his neck flush red just thinking about it. But first he had to earn his reward. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine. Why?” Chris said, doing a double-take.

“You know why.”

Chris shook his head, obviously playing dumb. “No, actually I don’t.”

“Look, I know what’s going on with you,” Luke replied, shifting from foot to foot. This was going to be a harder sell than he’d hoped. “I’ve got to tell you: you’re putting Reid in an impossible position and you’ve got to stop. Right now.”

Chris flicked a quick glance up and down the hall and then spun on his heel, opening the door to the empty office behind him and gesturing sharply at Luke to step inside.

Luke squeezed past him and took up a defensive position: chin up, shoulders back ( _Confidence, Luciano_ , Damian whispered inside his head ).

“I’m sorry, what did you just say in the hallway about me and Reid?” Chris said cagily, stepping up into Luke’s space.

“Look, Chris: I know. And if it came off as harsh out there I’m sorry.”

Chris mirrored Luke’s posture, sticking his chest out and crowding him further in a rookie attempt at being intimidating, and snapped, “What is it that you know?”

“I know that you’re sick. I know that there’s a virus attacking your heart; Reid told me.” Luke started to babble as he tried to get his whole speech out before Chris interrupted, but from the way Chris was shifting around and clenching his jaw that didn’t look very likely. “And he told me that you wanted to keep it a secret.”

“He told you? Ugh, that figures.” Chris cut in, proving Luke right (and he had to tighten his jaw to stop himself from rolling his eyes).

“Look, Chris, Reid and I are together,” Luke explained, shrugging his shoulders slightly because that was pretty obvious by now. “I could sense that something was wrong with him and then after a lot of pushing on my part he finally told me what was going on.”

“So much for doctor-patient confidentiality.”

Luke frowned. “Reid’s not your doctor, he’s your colleague.”

“Well he had no right to tell you, boyfriend or not.”

Luke’s frown deepened and he tamped down a desire to smack Chris on the back of the head. He either didn’t know or didn’t care about what he’d been putting Reid through. “He’s already done you a huge favor by going against his better judgment and treating you and keeping his mouth shut about it the whole time.”

“You know what? He’s free to walk away, any time he likes. In fact, I absolve him of all responsibility for my care because I don’t need him anymore,” Chris said, strolling across the room all infuriating and laissez-faire as he turned his back on Luke.

But Luke wouldn’t be dismissed so easily. He folded his arms and planted himself between Chris and the door. “Oh yeah? Because Reid told me your course of treatment isn’t working,” Luke said bluntly. “That you don’t even know how extensive the damage is because you’re too stubborn…”

“OK, I think I’ve heard enough.” Chris stepped forward to shoulder past him but Luke refused to move.

“No. Chris, you’re getting worse. Now that I know, even I can see it. It’s time to try something else.”

Chris snorted. “What do you know about heart disease?”

“I know that if you don’t get over yourself sometime soon, you could end up needing a transplant. I’ve had a transplant and let me tell you: it sucks.”

“Look, I get it,” Chris shot back, smirking. “You read Wikipedia and now you think you’re an expert, but this isn’t you and Reid playing naughty nurse.”

“ _Patients who do not respond to conventional therapy are candidates for surgery_ ,” Luke quoted. “That’s you. You’ve been trying to medicate yourself for a long time and it’s not working. You’re a doctor; how do you not get that?”

“What I don’t get is why you’re being so dramatic. Does it give you a thrill? Make life in Oakdale more exciting?”

Luke shook his head, ignoring the blatant attempts to piss him off and get him off-track. “You should tell your friends and family, and get the medical care you need.”

“No, no, no…”

“Why not?” Luke said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. “Your Dad runs this hospital; he’s a really good doctor. And if your Mom knew you were fighting this on your own she’d want to help you. And Katie…”

“I don’t want them to worry, Chris insisted, raising his voice to drown Luke out.

“Katie’s already worried. She knows something’s wrong, she just doesn’t know what and she wants to believe it’s not serious. Because she cares about you and she trusts you.”

“I know, OK?” Chris exploded, and Luke was just a little gleeful that he’d _finally_ found the hot-button. “I know. I want to be with Katie more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I’m not the guy who wants to settle down and raise kids and have a house with a picket fence, but for her… She makes me want to do crazy things and I’m not ready to lose that. If she found out about this she’d be out the door in a second, and after Brad I wouldn’t blame her.”

“What if you’re wrong?” Luke said quietly, keeping his eyes locked on Chris.

He smiled bitterly. “I’m not. And as for my Dad, all he’s going to say is ‘I told you so.’ And technically he’ll be right; if I’d stayed in Oakdale like he always wanted me to I never would’ve gotten sick in the first place.”

“Wow. You are seriously screwed up.”

“Thanks a lot,” Chris said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Luke ran a hand back through his hair, desperate to break through Chris’ self-loathing defenses. “Chris, you are literally killing yourself. Who cares what other people say anyway? Do this for yourself.”

“I care,” Chris shot back, tapping his chest. “I wouldn’t have come back here if I didn’t.”

“Then fight,” Luke insisted. “You can’t prove anything to anyone if you’re in the morgue.”

“I am fighting it, _my_ way.”

“Fight better! If you don’t want your family to help you through this you can ban everyone from your room; Reid can handle them with one hand tied behind his back. But at least be realistic; you know what you need to do.”

“Enough! Next time you want to give me advice wait until I ask for it.” Chris shoved Luke aside and grabbed the door handle with his left hand, then froze and doubled over, clutching his chest with his right.

“Chris? Are you OK?” Luke said frantically, knowing it was a stupid question.

Chris didn’t respond. His knees gave out and he tipped backwards, and Luke barely managed to keep him from cracking his head open on the floor. Luke dragged him clear of the doorway, rolled him into the recovery position, and then stepped outside. “Nurse! Somebody, I need help!”

An emergency team was there in less than a minute and Luke relaxed enough to let himself think of the next step: Reid.

The phone rang and rang, and Luke could feel the panic start build up again, and then finally Reid answered. “Oh, thank God,” Luke blurted out as he exhaled.

“Luke, what’s wrong?”

Luke almost laughed at that – Reid missing a chance to compare himself to God, and wow, that must’ve meant Luke sounded awful. “You need to get to the hospital. I’m here with Chris and he’s collapsed and… You need to get here.”

“I’m on my way,” Reid said, hanging up without further niceties.

Luke pulled his cell away from his ear and stared at it blankly for a moment before he remembered to put it away. As soon as he did Gretchen snagged his arm and asked him if he remembered anything about Chris’ symptoms. Luke couldn’t lie, not with what was at stake, so he told her about the chest pains, the dizziness, the shortness of breath, and she just nodded and ran back to Dr. Munroe. After that there wasn’t all that much for Luke to do except pace the hall and try to stay out of the way when they rushed Chris past him on a gurney.

It seemed to take forever for Reid to get there, but the moment he saw him Luke felt a wave of relief so strong he almost felt like it would knock him off his feet.

“Hi,” Reid said breathlessly. “Where’s Chris?”

Luke gestured to a nearby exam room and then wrapped his arms around himself. Apparently worrying for Chris had been keeping him warm, because now he was freezing. “He’s in there.”

Reid nodded and shoved the door open. “It’s his heart,” he said sharply to the emergency team. “As soon as he’s stable we need to get an MRI.”

“I thought as much,” Luke heard Dr. Munroe yell back. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get my patient down to radiology.”

Reid jumped back as the gurney rolled past him, and called out, “ _Your_ patient?”

Dr. Munroe just waved a hand dismissively as he sped on his way. “We can save the pissing match for later.”

Reid turned on his heel, took one look at Luke and winced. “Come on,” he said, taking Luke by the hand. “There’s a couch in my office with your name on it.”  
 **  
~~~**  
“So,” Luke said quietly when the door closed behind them. “That was awful.”

“I’m sorry you got dragged into this,” Reid said, laying a hand on Luke’s cheek.

Luke resisted the urge to close his eyes and lean into it, to let himself go. “I’m not. I’d rather know what’s going on with you than be lied to like Chris is doing with Katie. How is she, anyway? Does she know?”

Reid grimaced. “No. I just told her I had an emergency; as we speak she is at home waiting for Chris to come pick her up.”

“When really he’s in critical condition in the hospital.” Luke didn’t even have to try to imagine how awful it would feel when she found out the truth. He’d been a mess after Noah’s surgery.

“Look at the bright side,” Reid replied with a shrug. “With Chris unconscious he can’t refuse to be admitted.”

“This is all my fault. I was trying to talk him into getting treatment and it turned into this big argument and…”

“Luke, stop,” Reid said, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him slightly. “It is not your fault; it’s happened before. He’s just lucky he was at the hospital this time.”

“Yeah, well, he didn’t look lucky.”

Reid took a hand off Luke to pinch the bridge of his nose. “If Chris wasn’t so sick I’d strangle him myself,” he said, and then shook his head. “This has gone on long enough.”

Luke frowned. “What are you going to do?”

“What I should’ve done days ago.” He stalked over to his desk and snatched up the phone, stabbing viciously at the numbers and scowling. “Yes, this is Dr. Reid Oliver calling from Oakdale Memorial Hospital. I need to speak to Dr. John Dixon.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After arranging for Dr. Dixon to come to Oakdale Luke and Reid grab some downtime.

Reid was immediately put on hold. He sighed melodramatically and then turned to Luke. "Go lie down. Your weaving around is making me nauseous."

The couch did look inviting, and Luke was coming down hard and fast from the caffeine high, so he decided resting for a few minutes couldn't hurt. He strode over and sat down, and it felt so good he wanted more. Luke slipped off his shoes and stretched out, laying his head on the broad arm of the couch. He let the sound of Reid's voice (cursing quietly at the "elevator music") wash over him and he blinked – once, twice, three times – trying to soothe his scratchy eyes just a little…

Luke woke up with a start when a hand landed on his shoulder. Reid had gone from over _there_ to leaning over him in the blink of an eye. Luke wrinkled his nose sheepishly, hoping he hadn't been snoring or drooling on Reid's couch.

"Hi there, Sleeping Beauty."

"I… What…" Luke slurred, his brain still a little foggy. "Do you need my jet?"

Reid's eyebrows shot up and he broke into a grin. "Of _course_ those are the first words out of your mouth. I should've known Luke Snyder dreams about charity work."

Luke pushed himself up a little, bracing himself to argue his case. "Reid, I'm serious."

Reid just shrugged. "It would probably be faster. How soon can it get to Baltimore?"

"Uhh… It's over six hundred miles to Maryland. Maybe an hour, or a little more? But I'd have to check if it's ready."

"You do that. I'll call back Dr. Dixon."

And just like that Reid was off again, leaving Luke a little stunned at how easily everything was falling into place. He stared at Reid's profile, at the confident way he held himself as he waded through the gauntlet of bureaucracy again, and couldn't help but be spellbound.

"Dr. Dixon? Change of plans. We're in the process of arranging private transport; how soon can you be ready?" Reid said in clipped, efficient tones, down the phone line, and nodded in reply to whatever it was Dr. Dixon had said. "Excellent. I'll email you all the details as soon as we have them."

Then he snapped his fingers at Luke, jolting him out of his stupor. Luke bolted upright, swinging his legs back onto the floor, and reached for his cell phone. He cut another brief glance at Reid, trying to decide whether to step outside to make the call, but Reid was already hanging up his office phone.

"You call your minions; I need to go confer with Dr. Munroe," Reid said, grabbing a piece of paper from the desk and scribbling on it hastily.

Luke nodded. "Of course."

Reid shrugged on his coat, stepped over to the couch and gave Luke a brief kiss. "Give me ten minutes and then we're out of here."

"I thought you'd want to stay, see how Chris is doing…" Luke said, frowning.

"It's called pacing myself. Chris is in good enough hands for now. I need to be back here when Dixon gets in, but in the meantime… It's going to be a long night and we both need to get some rest."

Luke seriously doubted Reid would do any such thing, but at the very least being away from the hospital for a little while might let him relax.

~~~

As Luke had pretty much expected, the jet was fueled up and ready to go. The crew was supposed to wait an additional hour after filing the flight plan before takeoff (stupid aviation rules) but it was still quicker than sending Dr. Dixon via a domestic airline. Reid smiled tightly when Luke told him, and then took him by the hand and led him out of the office. They stopped by admin to send Dr. Dixon his flight details, and Reid attached a copy of Chris' MRI (as well as a list of all the drugs he'd been self-medicating with these past months), and then somehow, miraculously, they made it out of the hospital without running into anyone.

Reid paused when they got to the parking lot, tossing his keys from hand to hand. "I've only got a couple of hours before I have to meet Dixon at the airport. You should go home and get some sleep."

"Oh yeah, because my Mom and Faith sniping at each other, and Natalie and Ethan running up and down the stairs, is _so_ relaxing. Get in your car, idiot. I'll follow you home."

Luke put on some loud music on the drive over, to keep himself awake, and by the time he pulled up behind Reid he was tapping the steering wheel, feeling alert and ready to take on the world.

Katie was still out and about when they got inside, and she'd left a message saying that she was grabbing dinner with Nancy Hughes. Luke crumpled up the note and dropped it in the trash, feeling sick with guilt. "Do you think Katie knows yet?" he said, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"Since I haven't gotten half a dozen frantic pages I'm going with no, but it's only a matter of time now. Bob's probably calling them as we speak."

Luke let out a long sigh. "Katie's going to be devastated."

Reid shook his head. "This whole caring-about-people business is insane. It's no wonder I've tried to avoid it."

"Yeah, well, it has its good points too," Luke said, shrugging.

Reid just shook his head again. "It seems like the more you care about someone the greater chance you have of getting hurt."

"That's true."

"Well, how do you _live_ with that?"

Luke ducked his head and took a step closer. "You're just grateful you have them in your life, for as long as you have them. Even if it's just a short while."

"No," Reid snapped. "No way. I'm not willing to invest so much to get so little in return. I want the whole enchilada, do you hear me?" He took two long strides towards Luke and held his hands out, as if begging him to listen.

Or as close as Reid got to it anyway. It was a good look on him, and Luke decided to enjoy it a moment longer. "Meaning?"

"Meaning you'd better take care of that kidney of yours. If I'm going to put myself out there, fall in love with you, I am _not_ going to lose you."

Luke closed the remaining distance between them, leaning into Reid's space. "Are you planning on falling in love with me?" he said with a grin, keeping his voice low and flirtatious.

Reid rolled his eyes. "No, of course not. It's not something you plan, it just happens and you're powerless to stop it." Then he grimaced at the words coming out of his own mouth and blurted out, "Oh god, listen to me; I've never been powerless. I've always been in complete control of everything in my life."

Luke reached out a hand and laid a hand on his cheek. "Aww. Are you OK?"

Reid took a deep breath, leaned into the touch and nodded. "Yeah. You?"

"Mhm."

Reid didn't need any further encouragement to tilt his head up, just enough to meet Luke's lips in a soft kiss. Luke pressed forward, deepening the kiss, and slid his hand around to tug at the hair at the nape of Reid's neck. It was just long enough for Luke to curl his fingers in and he loved playing with it, testing Reid's threshold between play and pain. And it helped that that always made Reid shudder and kiss him harder.

They moved over to the couch, flopping down onto it without breaking their embrace, and before Luke knew it Reid was straddling his lap, grinding down against him. Luke squirmed and shifted, trying to get comfortable, but there was a damn couch spring or something digging into his back. When wriggling didn't work Luke tried just ignoring it, focusing instead on the way Reid clutched his shoulders, the way their chests were pressed so close together Luke almost thought he could feel Reid's heartbeat. But then Reid rolled his hips and Luke couldn't take it anymore. He turned his head away (which only made Reid bite at his neck) and said, "Wait."

Reid groaned and dropped his head onto Luke's shoulder. "You have got to be kidding me."

"There's something sticking into my back."

Reid snorted. "Oldest line in the book. If you're worried about your virtue…"

"Trust me, I'm not. Just get up for a second."

Reid slid off Luke's lap and stuck his hand down the back of the couch (taking the time to grope Luke in the process, naturally). Then he snorted again and held up Jacob's rattle. "Not even out of the cradle and he's already cockblocking." He tossed it onto the coffee table and turned back to Luke. "Pick up where we left off?"

"This probably isn't the best place."

"I do have a bedroom. And…" Reid made an elaborate show of checking his watch. "Oh lucky me, a whole hour left before I have to leave to meet Dixon."

"Well then," Luke said, standing up and holding out his hand. "No time to waste."

Reid took Luke's hand and made Luke haul him up, so they stumbled into each other a little. Reid wrapped an arm around Luke's waist for balance and grinned. "You sure you don't want to wait until we can take our time? Do the whole romantic thing, with flowers and candles and obnoxious music?"

"All I need is a bed and some privacy. And I'm sure I want to see you naked," Luke shot back. "Think you can handle that?"

Reid smirked. "You have no idea." And the smug bastard swung his hips as he led Luke to his bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke and Reid's first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is pretty much shameless porn. NC-17

As it turned out, Reid approached sex the way he approached pretty much everything, barring social niceties: with confidence and efficiency. It was breathtaking how fast the man could strip off, and even more incredible for Luke to finally be able to run his hands all over Reid's bare skin. Reid was lean and wiry all over, and Luke couldn't wait to see what he could do with all that muscle. He gripped Reid's ass and raked his fingers down Reid's back as Reid put himself to work undoing Luke's belt and stripping Luke bare too.

Luke gasped when he felt the backs of Reid's fingers brush against the head of his cock, and then gasped again for a very different reason when Reid grabbed the hem of his T-shirt. Luke wrapped his hand around Reid's wrist and held his hand still, pressed against his stomach, and then blurted out, "I have scars."

Reid pulled away a little and stared at him, a bemused expression on his face. "OK… You do realize I know about your kidney."

Luke shook his head. "There's more than that. And I don't want to talk about it just yet but I thought… I thought you should know."

"OK," Reid said again, leaning in and kissing Luke softly. "Thanks for the heads-up." He slid his hands up under Luke's shirt, stroking over the muscles of his back rather than lingering over the puckered scar tissue, and Luke felt the knot in his chest loosen. He grabbed Reid's head in both his hands and kissed him soundly, walking him back towards the bed and trying not to trip over his discarded pants and underwear in the process. Then the backs of Reid's legs hit the bed frame and he sat down with a thump, leaving Luke towering over him. Luke felt a little thrill run up his spine and it must've showed because Reid grinned wickedly and then scooted forward to suck Luke down.

Luke was extremely glad Katie wasn't home because he had to let out a deep, guttural moan. He twisted his torso a little and craned his head so he could see everything that was going on, and _fuck_ that was the best idea ever because… oh god, _Reid_. The hottest, filthiest porn and the wildest parts of Luke's imagination hadn't prepared him for how it would feel leaning over Reid and fucking his face while Reid oh-so-slowly jerked himself off.

Luke rested a hand lightly on Reid's head, not sure what he should do, but then Reid brought his free hand up to grip Luke's ass and yank him forward, to press his cock harder into Reid's mouth. Luke moaned again and tightened his fingers in Reid's hair, tugging just the way Reid seemed to like, and he was rewarded with a fluttering hum resonating in Reid's throat. They kept up that push-and-pull, feedback loop of pleasure until Luke's calves started to burn with the stretch and then Luke pulled back, shoved Reid until he was sprawled out on the bed, and stripped off his T-shirt. He calmed his thumping heart by rationalizing that wouldn't be easy to see some of his scars in here anyway, with the muted light creeping in around the blackout curtains. And he wanted to give Reid all of himself, no matter how brittle it made him feel.

Luke kept his eyes locked on Reid's as he joined him on the bed, looking there for a flicker of pity or distaste, but they stayed dark with lust. Luke crawled over him and pressed the full length of his body against Reid's, shivering a little when Reid brushed his thumb over Luke's nipple. It felt different (Good? Maybe.) but there were other uses he could think of for Reid's clever fingers. Luke kissed him, long and hard, and pressed Reid's hand back down until he was touching himself again.

"God, Luke," Reid gasped, arching up and kissing him.

"Show me."

For such an egotist Reid took instructions pretty well. He scooted back and groped around on the nightstand for lube (Luke tried not to think about why it was right there, where anyone could see) and opened it with a smooth flick of the wrist. Luke stared as he slicked himself up, comfortable and uninhibited like he jerked off in front of Luke ( _in front of other men_ , a mean-spirited voice in the back of his head piped up) all the time. It wasn't showy – they were lying too close for that – but it was more than simple efficiency; Luke could see that. Reid stroked all the way down to the base of his dick and swiped the thumb of his free hand over the tip, smearing the bead of precome over and around the head before stroking back up again.

Luke stared as he did it again and again and again, the tip of Reid's dick getting slippery and shiny. Luke wanted to taste, and he sighed in frustration as he remembered the coating of lube. As much as he loved giving head he'd never gotten used to that bitter, plasticky taste. So he settled for kissing Reid, arousal throbbing through him as he felt Reid's muscles shift and work.

They were both breathing heavily when Reid broke the kiss, rolling Luke over and pressing him down onto his back. Then Reid knelt over him and guided Luke's grip to his waist, to steady him while he... while he took matters in hand, so to speak.

"I like it just wet enough that my hand glides," Reid teased, stroking his palm over the head of Luke's dick and making him arch with pleasure. "But with just a little friction," Reid continued, curling his hand into a loose fist so that when Luke pressed up he slipped inside. Luke rocked his hips, desperately fucking Reid's fist, and _oh god_ he could feel the heat building up inside him. But Reid wasn't done with him yet.

He leaned down and murmured in Luke's ear, "I use my right hand if I want it hard and fast," and punctuated his sentence with short, jerky motions that rippled up through his hand and shook his body where he straddled Luke. "But if I want it to last longer…" Reid gave Luke's cock a lazy stroke with his left hand as he talked, though saying anything more was getting to be pretty unnecessary.

"Reid," Luke gasped, lifting his hips again.

Reid sat up again and looked him straight in the eye. "I've got you."

It was a challenge and a promise, and Luke gave himself over to it. To Reid's thighs bracketing him, only letting Luke move as much as Reid wanted him to. To Reid's focused attention as he watched Luke react when he twisted his wrist like _this_ or rubbed his thumb _there_. To Reid's capable hands stroking them both. Luke squeezed his eyes shut and bit his tongue, choking back a scream, and Reid's grip sped up, harder-faster-harder-faster. Luke was so close and he wanted it so bad, but he wanted this to go on forever. To forget about everything and everyone else and just make love to his boyfriend. It hit Luke hard just as he reached his peak, that Reid was it, he was _it_ , and Luke came with Reid's name on his lips.

Reid followed a little later, growling and cursing and striping Luke's stomach and chest. When Reid collapsed on the bed next to him, Luke could feel him trembling. Or maybe Luke was the one shaking; he couldn't be sure. They both lay there for a minute, gasping for breath, and then Luke was startled when Reid started laughing.

"What?"

"They say you're only as young as the person you feel," Reid said, wiping his sticky hands on the sheets. "But right now I feel like I'm seventeen again, complete with the awkward first time lasting all of about ten minutes."

"That was _awkward_?" Luke said incredulously.

Reid turned to him and grinned. "I'm sure you have your own tricks to show me."

Luke caught his breath for a minute and then nodded. "I'll need more than an hour, though." He was strangely gratified when Reid barked out a short laugh.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Reid slipped out of bed and pulled his boxers on, and Luke threw his arm over his face to hide from the brightness when Reid flicked the light on. He heard the door open and close, and then yelped as a warm, damp cloth landed on him. Luke peeked out from under his arm, glaring when he found Reid smirking at him.

"You're a mess, Mr. Snyder."

"Well whose fault is that?"

Reid crawled back onto the bed and gently took Luke's earlobe between his teeth. "Mine." He cupped Luke's chin in his hand and turned his head, kissing him thoroughly, and Luke felt his stomach flutter with distant excitement again.

He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against Reid's. "Don't you think you should do something about it?"

Reid grinned, a predatory gleam in his eye, and then got to work, alternating between wiping Luke down and licking him clean.

"I don't think I got _that _much there," Luke protested half-heartedly when Reid brushed a thumb over his nipple again.__

"I'm just being thorough," Reid shot back, and Luke could feel his smile tugging against the curve of his hip. "I wouldn't want you to accuse me of being substandard."

"The great Dr. Oliver? Never." Luke curled his fingers lightly in Reid's hair, making up his mind to lie back and enjoy this brief time in the spotlight, no matter how weird it felt. He stroked the nape of Reid's neck and tried to keep himself anchored in the moment rather than letting his thoughts wander to the past, to high hopes and disappointments. He was here with Reid, _finally_ , and right now no-one could get in their way.

Then Luke jumped, Reid having decided to finish up his ministrations by swiping his tongue over Luke's balls. "God, you're such a tease," Luke hissed.

Reid stretched out alongside him, once _again_ smirking in self-congratulation. "You shouldn't take my name in vain," he quipped, sliding his arm around Luke and pulling him in close for a brief kiss. "You never know who might be listening, and decide to steal me away to a lesser circle of hell."

Luke shoved him in the shoulder but as hard as he tried he couldn't help smiling back. "I'd just send my minions after you." He settled down with his head on Reid's shoulder and an arm slung over his chest, Reid's fingers trailing up and down his back.

"Have I told you how hot it is that you have your own minions?"

"No, you haven't."

"Remind me, the next time we're home."

Luke's chest tightened as Reid's words sunk in: _home_. "I love you," he murmured into Reid's shoulder, overwhelmed by the lightness bubbling through him.

Reid snorted. "Post-coital declarations? Really?"

Luke pulled back from their embrace and looked him in the eye. "I mean it. You're the one I want to be with, Reid. Because I'm in love with you."

Luke had to quash the cynical voice in his head as it said, _now you've done it_ , when Reid's eyes practically bugged out of their sockets. "How do you just _say_ things like that?"

"Because it's true." Luke lay back down, resting his head on Reid's shoulder again and concentrating on breathing slowly and evenly. "Feel free to say it back any time."

Reid tightened his arms around Luke and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Duly noted."

~~~

It seemed like they'd been lying there for barely any time at all before the alarm on Reid's watch was beeping insistently. He disentangled himself from Luke and dressed hurriedly, giving Luke another good look at his fantastic ass in the process.

"I can feel you undressing me with your eyes," Reid said dryly as he shrugged his shirt back on.

"Is that a problem?"

"Only because I don't get to stay and collect my dues."

Luke threw a pillow at him just as he was turning around, and it hit Reid in the side of the head. "Wow, nice reflexes, super-doc."

Reid put on a pathetic faux-gloomy expression. "He says he loves me, but then he beats me."

Luke had a comeback for that right on the tip of his tongue but instead he found himself yawning.

Reid let out a short laugh. "Don't tell me I've worn you out already; endless energy is supposed to be one of the perks of dating a twenty-two year old."

"Well, when we actually go on a date that doesn't end in disaster…"

"Taking me to the wedding was your idea, and the disaster wasn't anything to do with us. I say it still counts."

Luke shook his hea. "Wow, you really are a romantic."

"Just don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold." Reid ducked the second pillow Luke threw at him and stooped over to kiss Luke goodbye soundly. When he straightened back up he was smiling too. "Stay. Sleep."

"I shouldn't. I've got notes to look over from this morning's budget meeting, and I should probably reshuffle my schedule for the rest of the week so that if Casey or anybody needs me…"

"You still need to sleep some time," Reid cut in. Then his watch beeped again and he glanced at it, grimacing. "OK, I really need to get going."

"Go. I'll bring you dinner later."

Reid frowned, clearly torn between calling Luke an idiot and accepting the offer of food.

"Or I could come with you."

"No, I have to fill Dixon in on the case. Having you along would be unprofessional," Reid said shortly. He bent to kiss Luke again, soft and apologetic this time, and then finally turned towards the door. He paused with his hand on the doorknob, apparently trying to make up his mind about _something_ , squared his shoulders and said, "There's a spare key hanging up in the kitchen. Use it if you have to."


	4. Chapter 4

Reid left without another word, shutting off the light on his way out, and Luke curled around Reid's pillow, carefully avoiding lying in the wet spot. Of course once he was alone Luke couldn't relax. He lay there for half an hour, breathing in Reid's scent and feeling like a desperate teenager again, before giving up on the idea of sleep. At least he could do something constructive with his time; the sheets were wrecked so he got up, grabbed replacements from the closet and quickly changed them, tossing the dirty set in Reid's hamper. Then, to hold off the temptation to snoop more around Reid's room, he went to take a shower, his skin still sticky and the muscles of his legs sore.

The most innocuous things caught Luke's attention in the bathroom – the three different kinds of shampoo, the extra-soft, fluffy towels, and the little non-slip mats Luke remembered using in the bathtub when Ethan was little – and it really hit him. Reid _lived here_ with Katie and Jacob, like a little family unit. Reid cared about them, even put his career on the line to help Chris Hughes of all people because he didn't want Katie to be hurt. And he'd trusted Luke enough to let him see that; Luke could count on one hand the number of people in Oakdale who'd seen Reid truly vulnerable, and still have a fingers to spare.

Luke stepped under the shower and let the jumble of his thoughts roll and snarl and tangle. He'd told Reid he loved him and Reid hadn't said it back. But he hadn't freaked out either, and he'd asked Luke to stay; that had to mean something. Unless Reid was just being polite, which, OK, that didn't really sound like Reid. Luke washed himself briskly, trying to force his brain to chill out. It was no big deal; Noah had taken a while to say it back too. And then Luke gave himself a stinging slap on the forehead. If he was going to build something new with Reid it was _way_ past time to stop comparing everything to his experiences with Noah. No wonder Reid hadn't said anything back; he wouldn't want to let himself fall for a dumb kid who kept acting like he was still hung up on his ex. It was a miracle Reid hadn't run a mile.

Except Luke knew that wasn't true either. Reid had stayed for him, sure, but he'd built a life for himself in Oakdale too. Slowly and with difficulty, but he'd done it nonetheless. Luke was a part of his life but he wasn't the centre of Reid's existence. And maybe that was the way things were meant to be once you grew up but the reality was equal parts thrilling and terrifying. It certainly wasn't anything like what Luke was used to. His whole life his parents, and Damian, and his grandmothers had been up in his business, but Reid… Reid wouldn't cut him any slack. He expected Luke to make his own decisions and to really _own_ the repercussions. He'd stand behind him, Luke knew that, but Reid wouldn't coddle or protect him. And Luke would just have to learn how to deal.

He shut off the water and scrubbed himself dry harder than was strictly necessary, in an attempt to wake himself up and get it together. He felt marginally less scattered once he was dressed again, his shirt wrapped around him like armor, so he headed to the kitchen to make coffee and draw up a plan of action for the rest of the day.

~~~

By the time Luke finished his errands and got back to Memorial Chris had already been taken into surgery; he hadn't woken up at all the entire day. Apparently a second set of scans had showed a leaking blood vessel (or something) in his brain, so Reid had scrubbed in with Alison and Dr. Dixon. Luke gave Reid's latte to one of the nurses and stuck around the waiting room, trying to make himself useful to Casey, and Nancy, and Bob and Kim, and Margo and Tom, and Katie. If he was honest he wanted to be there when Reid came back out, wanted to see his face after it was all said-and-done, and maybe run interference if Reid was being… well, Reid. Katie was a mess, a barely-contained ball of fury. According to Casey, who'd gone with Bob to break the news, when she'd heard Chris was out cold, that she might never speak with him again, she'd railed against the world, and against herself for not seeing it. Once she'd heard the full story the order of her shitlist had changed, but Luke couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't punch Reid in the face if he said the wrong thing today, friend or not. Maybe _because_ they were friends, and the person she was most angry at was currently under heavy anesthetic.

So Luke swapped stupid stories with Casey about the many and varied ways they'd pestered Chris as kids (teenage uncles were easy marks) and ribbed him about stealing Chris' "one true love" Allison, prompting Katie to shame-facedly confess to her failed attempt at matchmaking. Then Kim got in on the act, with stories of her own about her pitched battles with Chris over his string of girlfriends, and Tom did the obligatory big-brother thing of sharing embarrassing anecdotes. Bob just sat with his arm around Nancy, asking her if she was 'really' OK about once every fifteen minutes until finally he just decided to escort her away for a checkup. None of them said anything when Bob came back without her.

The hours stretched on and Luke volunteered to make runs to the vending machine for candy, and to the cafeteria for substandard food, and to Java for chamomile tea when Katie started looking wild around the eyes. But in the end he needn't have worried so much. After a seemingly-endless stretch of time the surgery was finally over. Reid kept his comments brief and to-the-point before handing over to Dr. Dixon, and Katie settled for giving Reid a dead arm followed by a bear hug, promising to have Words with him at home. And then finally it was Luke's turn.

Reid stepped towards him, smiling hopefully. "I was promised food."

"There's takeout from Al's in your fridge at home. I had no idea how long surgery was going to be and I didn't want it to…" Luke was cut off when Reid grabbed his face and kissed him hard, right there in the hall in front of the whole Hughes family, plus Dr. Dixon.

Then Reid broke the kiss, grinning stupidly like he had back in Dallas. "I knew you were more than just a pretty face."

Luke raised his eyebrows and kept his gaze locked on Reid, trying to ignore Casey's cat calls in the background. "Reid, are you OK?"

"I may be a little punchy," Reid conceded, still grinning.

"Why don't I drive you home?"

Reid nodded, slowly and carefully, and slung an arm around Luke's shoulders as he turned back to the group. "You like to watch, Mr. Hughes?"

Casey turned bright red and Alison elbowed him in the ribs, laughing openly.

"Come on. Home. Food," Luke said, shaking his head. "Katie, do you want a ride?"

Katie shook her head. "Go ahead; I want to see Nancy. Oh, but Reid? Henry and Barbara are at our place looking after Jacob. Try to be civil."

"I'm always civil, if Hank is civil first."

She rolled her eyes and waved them off, and Luke could feel eight pairs on his back as he walked Reid over to the on-call room for a quick change of clothes.

Reid all but collapsed onto the closest available seat once they got inside. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against Luke's stomach, and moaned when Luke carded his fingers through Reid's hair. Luke slipped his hands down and slid Reid's lab coat off his shoulders but then his efforts were halted by the lead weights that Reid's arms had become.

"Are you sure you're OK?"

Reid nodded, rolling his head against Luke's body. "Just tired. It's been a long month, and it's not likely to let up any time soon."

"Well, help me out here and you'll be at home eating chilli in no time."

Reid laboriously raised one arm and then the other, letting them flop back down as soon as Luke had pulled off his sleeves. The shirt Reid was wearing underneath was damp with sweat but Luke doubted he cared.

"Where's the key to your locker?"

"Pocket," Reid said succinctly, waving a hand at his abandoned lab coat. "It's the third one from the left." He leaned back in his chair when Luke stepped away to gather his things, and when Luke turned back Reid was asleep, his mouth hanging open and his head tilted as far back as it could go. It looked ridiculous and uncomfortable, but all Luke wanted to do was kiss him.

He snuck out of the room as quietly as he could and went to drop Reid's coat off with laundry services, then doubled back to collect the man himself. When he got there Gretchen was in the hall outside, and she bit back a grin when Luke caught her eye.

"You know, if you took a picture he's going to make your life miserable."

Gretchen rolled her eyes. "He already does."

"Then this'll be our little secret." Luke grinned at her and pushed open the door to the on-call room, wondering how long she'd wait before wreaking revenge. Maybe he should get Gretchen's number, so she could text him when it was about to go down, because Reid going apoplectic might be good entertainment. Or maybe she'd go with blackmail; Reid responded well to blackmail. Yeah, Luke should definitely get her number. He strode across to Reid's ersatz bed, leaned down close to his ear and said softly, "Dr. Oliver, your chauffeur awaits."

Reid snorted and his eyes popped open, and then he winced, bringing a hand up to the back of his neck. "Ow."

Luke gave in to the impulse to kiss him then, a brief peck on the lips. "Ready to get out of here?"

"Lead on."

 

They stumbled out to the parking lot, Reid's arm slung around Luke again and his feet clumsy with exhaustion. But that didn't stop Reid from pinning Luke against his car and nuzzling neck. "Thank you."

Luke huffed out a laugh. "Couldn't bring yourself to say it in front of everybody, hmm?"

"I have a reputation to uphold." Reid slid a hand under Luke's shirt, resting it against his lower back with the fingertips just under the waistband of Luke's pants. "Wouldn't want anyone to think I'm going soft," he murmured, pressing his hips forward.

Luke arched into him and flung an arm around Reid's back. "Never going to happen." He turned his head to meet Reid's lips with his own, and they made out lazily until Reid's stomach started rumbling loud enough even for Luke to hear it.

Reid broke off the kiss and leaned his forehead against Luke's. "To be continued?"

Luke honest-to-god beamed; he could feel the muscles if his cheeks stretching almost painfully tight. "To be continued."

They stepped apart and got into the car, but before Luke could start it up Reid took his hand and laced their fingers together. "When this is over I'm taking you away for a whole weekend, no interruptions," he said decisively.

Luke sighed. He really wanted to believe that would happen but things had gotten so crazy lately it seemed almost impossible. "Over as in when, exactly?"

"Well, I'm not waiting until Chris gets a transplant; we have no idea when that'll be and they don't need me for it anyway. Maybe once he wakes up and shows everyone what a stellar job I did?"

Luke smiled slightly. That was Reid; always modest. "Do you really think Chris is going to be alright?"

"It's too early to tell for sure but the bleeding in his brain wasn't too bad; he should recover without further invasive treatment. The LVAD, on the other hand, is just a temporary measure. The damage to his heart is too extensive. But with any luck it should keep him relatively stable until we find a donor."

Luke squeezed Reid's hand, frowning as he thought of what his own parent must've gone through, sitting by his bedside and watching time run out, desperately hoping to get a kidney in time until finally his mother gave up, gave in to Keith. Luke had never blamed her, even though he resented how guilty it made it him feel, but he'd never fully understood either. He'd been too out of it to notice how devastated his parents were, but he was getting a crash course now, watching Bob and Kim. "OK, so, we just wait."

"And hope Chris doesn't deteriorate much further. The last thing we need is to find a heart and have him be too weak for surgery."

"That would be awful," Luke agreed.

Reid squeezed his hand in return. "Given how long Chris has been hiding his condition and how rapidly he's gotten worse lately we can't rule out the possibility."

"No, I guess not." Luke shot him a glance and a brief, sad smile before finally letting go of his hand and starting the car. "Home?"

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Reid smirk and lay his head back against the headrest. "Home, Jeeves."

He didn't make any more smartass comments after that, and when Luke stopped at the first set of lights and looked over at him he found Reid was fast asleep. Maybe it really was true; doctors could sleep anywhere, any time. Luke kept himself entertained for the rest of the drive by bringing to mind every doctor joke and cliché he could and making a mental note to save them for days when Reid was being unusually obnoxious, and in no time he was pulling up outside Katie and Reid's apartment.

This time when Luke woke him up Reid was dexterous enough to carry his own belongings and get the front door open without fumbling the keys, but Luke still felt it was his duty to at least see him inside. The living room was empty and all the lights were off, meaning Henry and Barbara were probably asleep in Katie's bed. At least, Luke fervently hoped they were asleep; there were things he didn't need to know about Will's Mom.

He microwaved some chilli, trying to move around the kitchen as quietly as possible, and Reid wolfed it down in no time. Luke leaned against the kitchen counter, staring; just seeing him eat like that almost gave Luke a stomach ache.

"How do you not choke?"

Reid looked up from his empty bowl and... well, the only word for it was _leered_. "I have lots of practice at swallowing."

Luke burst out laughing – oh my _god_ that was a bad line – and all too soon his stomach ache was a reality, for different reasons. "How do you ever get laid?" he said between gasping breaths.

Reid raised an eyebrow. "I didn't hear you complaining earlier."

"It's true, I can't fault you for technique," Luke conceded.

"And you knew I was a nerd when you got into this. A blindingly hot, devastatingly smart one, but still."

Luke shrugged. "I guess I like the idea of training you."

Reid just rolled his eyes, pushed away from the table and dusted his hands together. "OK, enough of the witty banter. Are you staying or not?"

"I shouldn't," Luke said ruefully. "I don't have anything to wear to work tomorrow."

"So stop by Mommy's in the morning. You are your own the boss; you can start whenever you want."

"True, but…"

Reid stepped forward and grasped Luke's shoulders. "You can't leave me alone to face Hank and the cougar. Who knows what could happen?"

"Dr. Oliver, are you blackmailing me?"

"Is it working?"

Luke kissed him in reply, humming with happiness when Reid responded eagerly. Reid's hands slipped down to Luke's waist and under his shirt again, and Luke went with it for a minute, enjoying the feel of skin on skin, before breaking the kiss. "Just so we're clear, I'm not having sex with you with Will's Mom in the next room."

Reid frowned. "Why not?"

"Because! Just… no. _You_ wouldn't do it if Bob were the one staying here."

"Yes I would."

Luke narrowed his eyes. "OK, I'll make a note: never let Reid stay anywhere."

"This is _my_ place; they're interlopers." Reid registered his indignance clearly, with expansive hand gestures.

"Interlopers who've been taking care of Jacob all afternoon."

"Granted," Reid grudgingly admitted. "But really, is there anyone in this town who's _not_ a cockblocker?"

Luke ducked his head and looked up at him through his lashes. "I'll make it up to you. Just not tonight."

Reid groaned in frustration as he stepped away, but he held out his hand to Luke. "Fine. Let's go have a sleepover."


End file.
